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UK Mandates CO2 Cuts of 60% by 2050

The UK will cut CO2 emissions 60 percent by 2050, the British government declared yesterday, as Britain became the first country to set legally binding CO2 emissions targets. The draft Climate Change Bill, which also mandates cuts of 26 to 32 percent by 2020, would penalize future governments for failing to meet the targets, but […]

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The UK will cut CO2 emissions 60 percent by 2050, the British government declared yesterday, as Britain became the first country to set legally binding CO2 emissions targets. The draft Climate Change Bill, which also mandates cuts of 26 to 32 percent by 2020, would penalize future governments for failing to meet the targets, but doesn't specify how they should be reached. The bill includes carbon trading offsets for industry and provides for consumers to become energy producers.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger praised the move, calling Prime Minister Tony Blair an "action hero." Nevertheless, Blair acknowledged that he wouldn't go so far as to miss his vacation over CO2:

"There is a way that we can be responsible members of society but without trying to get to the stage where you say to people in Europe that you must never travel or take the aeroplane. That is not going to happen."

Blair unveils bid to cut emissions by 60 percent [Scotsman.com]